Zap Mama

Congo-born Marie Daulne, founder of the beloved female ensemble Zap Mama, isn't comfortable with being pigeonholed in the category of "world music," but that doesn't stop her from stirring the global melting pot on a daily basis. On Zap Mama's latest effort, Ancestry in Progress, the group's exotic vocal stylings undulate intoxicatingly throughout, but this time the proceedings are interwoven with hip-hop rhythms, thanks to a collaboration with the Roots. Common and Talib Kweli contribute their rhyme skills to the potent push of "Yelling Away," while songstress Erykah Badu lends some sisterly support with the alluring cry of "Bandy Bandy." Daulne has said that a theme of the album is to find happiness within oneself instead of traveling the world to seek it out. Fortunately, Zap Mama will simplify things by bringing a world's worth of joy to the Boulder Theater stage, on a bill that includes the delightful, sweet-voiced Inara George -- another siren with smart things to sing.